My Favorite Black Friday Deals (Like $5 off Books at Amazon)

The once-a-year post of great deals is back, and this one is crazy good. I mean – $5 off a book purchase at Amazon is enough to make me happy. Add in everything else below, and Christmas has come early. (On Monday, we’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming… and yes, I already have a vulnerability hangover from what I’ll be sharing. Bless it.)

Here are my three favorite Black Friday sales (or “Black Friday Weekend” sales), as well as three free apps I use every week that give cash back or gift cards just for shopping at certain stores/websites. (You can save year-round with these apps, but if you’re shopping this weekend these will help you save even more.)

Affiliate links are used in this post, which means that if you click on my link and then purchase something on the site, I’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s thanks to y’all kindly clicking through my affiliate links that I’m able to keep this site up and running (really truly – that’s how I pay for the domain and hosting). Thank you for taking the time to click my link before you purchase… it makes more of a difference than you know.

Amazon

My favorite post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas Amazon deal is back! Save $5 on any print book purchase (or preorder) totaling $20 or more with the code NOVBOOK18. The code is good now through 11:59 PST on November 25th.

And of course, I’d love for you to buy a copy of my book for yourself or for a friend! If you’re in the middle of a chapter you wouldn’t have chosen, if you’re desperate to see His goodness in the difficult storylines, this is for you. When I started the manuscript, I didn’t know God would lead me to write about singleness, broken relationships, major health scares, night terrors or spiritual warfare. I didn’t know I’d need to show up in the darkness, look for the light, and write about what it feels like in the messy middle, in the in betweens of life.

It’s been three years and I still regularly hear from complete strangers who have stumbled across Even If Not, readers I’ll likely never meet this side of heaven who say things like “this book is changing my life” and “I met Jesus between the pages.” And I shake my head and honestly the only response I have to offer is simply this: Me too.

DaySpring

For full transparency, let me first mention that DaySpring is one of my VA clients. They didn’t ask me to say one single thing about the sale, but I just couldn’t pass up telling you about their Black Friday deal: 30% off sitewide with the code FRIDAY18 (good through midnight on 11/25). If I listed everything from DaySpring that I own and love, this post would be outrageously long. So – here are 12 of my favorites, including a few that will soon be shipping my way.

One quick note: Now through midnight on 11/26, there are over 70 items that are buy one, get one free. The FRIDAY18 code will work on these, as well as items in the Sale section.

Cents of Style

One of my favorite places to shop online for scarves, sweaters, or jackets is Cents of Style. Every item I’ve purchased has held up really well, the quality is great, and shipping is always free anywhere in the US. I’m listing a few of their Black Friday markdowns below, but check out the New Arrivals section for more (I especially like the new waffle knit tops).

Now through 11/26 at midnight, all orders of $45 or more will receive the Genevieve Classic Sweater for free. Add your favorite color sweater to your cart, use the code BLACKFRIDAY, and it’ll automatically apply the discount.

Also: the Alicia Favorite V-Neck Sweater (available in 5 color options) is their Cyber Monday special. It’ll be marked down to just under $27 (including shipping) with the code NEWSTYLE.

Three free apps that can help you save year-round:

Drop

I just discovered this app last week, but the timing is perfect with Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. Essentially, before you buy anything online, check the app to see if that particular store is partnering with Drop. If so, click on the store name (like Target) while in the app. Drop will take you straight to that site (Target.com, for example) and you’ll receive points for every dollar spent because you went through Drop first. You can also select five places (one of mine is Starbucks, of course) that will give you points every time you make a purchase in person. Points are redeemable for gift cards from places like Amazon, Sephora, Whole Foods, AMC Theaters, etc.

Shopkick

I mentioned both Shopkick and Ibotta in my 2016 What I Learned This Summer blog post. Both apps give you gift cards for shopping. Nope, that’s not a typo. I’ve used both for years and have made way more than I ever anticipated — either from walking into a store, or buying something I was already going to purchase.

ShopKick rewards you with ‘kicks’ for scanning or purchasing specific items (like bread, milk, and pasta) at major stores like WalMart, Target, Publix and many more. You also get kicks just for walking in the store. For online shopping, you’ll receive several kicks for every dollar spent at sites like Amazon, eBay, Overstock.com, Hotels.com, etc. The kicks are redeemable for gift cards from dozens of places (like Walmart, Starbucks, and Target). Honestly, it barely takes any time for kicks to add up even if all you do is let it add kicks when you walk into a store.

Ibotta

Ibotta rewards you for what you purchase. Although you can use it for larger purchases or for dining out, I use it solely for grocery items. Just buy whatever you’re already going to buy and then open the app when you get home. Check off everything within the app that you purchased at the store, take a picture of your receipt for verification, and they load money into your account. You can choose whether you want to pick a gift card or withdraw the cash via PayPal. I’m not kidding you, I make money every time I purchase weekly items like milk, eggs, bread and produce.